A Vision of Joshua the High Priest

Then he showed me (A)Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and (B)Satan[a] standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the Lord said to Satan, (C)“The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has (D)chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this (E)a brand[b] plucked from the fire?” Now (F)Joshua was standing before the angel, (G)clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to (H)those who were standing before him, (I)“Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, (J)I have taken your iniquity away from you, and (K)I will clothe you with pure vestments.” And I said, (L)“Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord was standing by.

And the angel of the Lord solemnly assured (M)Joshua, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and (N)keep my charge, then you shall (O)rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among (P)those who are standing here. Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for (Q)they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring (R)my servant (S)the Branch. For behold, on (T)the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with (U)seven eyes,[c] I will (V)engrave its inscription, declares the Lord of hosts, and (W)I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. 10 In that day, declares the Lord of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come (X)under his vine and under his fig tree.”

A Vision of a Golden Lampstand

And (Y)the angel who talked with me came again (Z)and woke me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep. And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, (AA)a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and (AB)seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. And there are (AC)two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” And I said to (AD)the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, (AE)“Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to (AF)Zerubbabel: (AG)Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. Who are you, (AH)O great mountain? Before (AI)Zerubbabel (AJ)you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward (AK)the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, (AL)“The hands of (AM)Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also (AN)complete it. (AO)Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. 10 (AP)For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see (AQ)the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.

(AR)“These seven (AS)are the eyes of the Lord, (AT)which range through the whole earth.” 11 Then I said to him, “What are these (AU)two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” 12 And a second time I answered and said to him, “What are these (AV)two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the golden oil[d] is poured out?” 13 He said to me, (AW)“Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” 14 Then he said, (AX)“These are the two anointed ones[e] who stand by (AY)the Lord of the whole earth.”

A Vision of a Flying Scroll

Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a flying (AZ)scroll! And he said to me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a flying (BA)scroll. Its length is twenty cubits, and its width ten cubits.”[f] Then he said to me, “This is (BB)the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land. For everyone who (BC)steals shall be cleaned out according to what is on one side, and everyone who (BD)swears falsely[g] shall be cleaned out according to what is on the other side. I will send it out, declares the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter the house of the thief, and the house of (BE)him who swears falsely by my name. And (BF)it shall remain in his house and (BG)consume it, both timber and stones.”

A Vision of a Woman in a Basket

(BH)Then the angel who talked with me came forward and said to me, (BI)“Lift your eyes and see what this is that is going out.” And I said, “What is it?” He said, “This is (BJ)the basket[h] that is going out.” And he said, “This is their iniquity[i] in all the land.” And behold, the leaden cover was lifted, and there was a woman sitting in the basket! And he said, “This is Wickedness.” And he thrust her back into the basket, and thrust down (BK)the leaden weight on its opening.

Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, two women coming forward! (BL)The wind was in their wings. They had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and heaven. 10 Then I said to the angel who talked with me, “Where are they taking the basket?” 11 He said to me, “To the (BM)land of Shinar, to build a house for it. And when this is prepared, they will set the basket down there on its base.”

A Vision of Four Chariots

Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four chariots came out from between two mountains. And the mountains were mountains of (BN)bronze. The first chariot had (BO)red horses, the second (BP)black horses, the third (BQ)white horses, and the fourth chariot dappled horses—all of them strong.[j] Then I answered and said to (BR)the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” And the angel answered and said to me, (BS)“These are going out to the four winds of heaven, after (BT)presenting themselves before (BU)the Lord of all the earth. The chariot with the black horses goes toward (BV)the north country, the white ones go after them, and the dappled ones go toward (BW)the south country.” When the strong horses came out, they were impatient to go and (BX)patrol the earth. And he said, “Go, (BY)patrol the earth.” (BZ)So they patrolled the earth. Then he cried to me, “Behold, those who go toward (CA)the north country have set my Spirit at rest in (CB)the north country.”

The Crown and the Temple

And the word of the Lord came to me: 10 “Take from the exiles (CC)Heldai, Tobijah, and (CD)Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon, and go the same day to the house of Josiah, the son of (CE)Zephaniah. 11 Take from them silver and gold, and make a crown, (CF)and set it on the head of (CG)Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. 12 And say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold, the man whose name is (CH)the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and (CI)he shall build the temple of the Lord. 13 (CJ)It is he who shall build the temple of the Lord (CK)and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne. And there[k] shall be a (CL)priest on his throne, (CM)and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”’ 14 And the crown shall be in the temple of the Lord as (CN)a reminder to (CO)Helem,[l] (CP)Tobijah, (CQ)Jedaiah, and Hen (CR)the son of Zephaniah.

15 (CS)“And those who are far off shall come and (CT)help to build the temple of the Lord. (CU)And you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. (CV)And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.”

A Call for Justice and Mercy

(CW)In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is (CX)Chislev. Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech and their men (CY)to entreat the favor of the Lord, (CZ)saying to the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts and (DA)the prophets, “Should I weep and (DB)abstain in (DC)the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”

Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me: “Say to all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in (DD)the fifth month and in (DE)the seventh, for these (DF)seventy years, (DG)was it (DH)for me that you fasted? (DI)And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves? (DJ)Were not these the words that the Lord proclaimed (DK)by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous, (DL)with her cities around her, and the (DM)South and the (DN)lowland were inhabited?’”

And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, (DO)Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, 10 (DP)do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, (DQ)or the poor, and (DR)let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” 11 But (DS)they refused to pay attention (DT)and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear.[m] 12 (DU)They made their hearts diamond-hard (DV)lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent (DW)by his Spirit through (DX)the former prophets. (DY)Therefore great anger came from the Lord of hosts. 13 (DZ)“As I[n] called, and they would not hear, (EA)so they called, and I would not hear,” says the Lord of hosts, 14 (EB)“and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all (EC)the nations that they had not known. (ED)Thus the land they left was desolate, (EE)so that no one went to and fro, (EF)and the pleasant land was made desolate.”

The Coming Peace and Prosperity of Zion

And the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: (EG)I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. Thus says the Lord: (EH)I have returned to Zion and (EI)will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, (EJ)and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, (EK)and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain. Thus says the Lord of hosts: (EL)Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. Thus says the Lord of hosts: (EM)If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, (EN)should it also be marvelous in my sight, declares the Lord of hosts? Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, (EO)I will save my people (EP)from the east country and from the west country, and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. (EQ)And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, (ER)in faithfulness and in righteousness.”

Thus says the Lord of hosts: (ES)“Let your hands be strong, you who in these days have been hearing these words from the mouth of (ET)the prophets who were present on (EU)the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built. 10 For before those days (EV)there was no wage for man or any wage for beast, neither was there any safety from the foe for him who went out or came in, for I set every man against his neighbor. 11 But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, declares the Lord of hosts. 12 (EW)For there shall be a sowing of peace. The vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, (EX)and the heavens shall give their dew. (EY)And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. 13 And as (EZ)you have been a byword of cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, (FA)so will I save you, and (FB)you shall be a blessing. (FC)Fear not, but (FD)let your hands be strong.”

14 For thus says the Lord of hosts: (FE)“As I purposed to bring disaster to you when your fathers provoked me to wrath, and I did not relent, says the Lord of hosts, 15 so again have I purposed in these days to bring good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; (FF)fear not. 16 These are the things that you shall do: (FG)Speak the truth to one another; (FH)render in your gates judgments (FI)that are true and make for peace; 17 (FJ)do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and (FK)love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the Lord.”

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 3:1 Hebrew the Accuser or the Adversary
  2. Zechariah 3:2 That is, a burning stick
  3. Zechariah 3:9 Or facets
  4. Zechariah 4:12 Hebrew lacks oil
  5. Zechariah 4:14 Hebrew two sons of new oil
  6. Zechariah 5:2 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
  7. Zechariah 5:3 Hebrew lacks falsely (supplied from verse 4)
  8. Zechariah 5:6 Hebrew ephah; also verses 7–11. An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters
  9. Zechariah 5:6 One Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts eye
  10. Zechariah 6:3 Or and the fourth chariot strong dappled horses
  11. Zechariah 6:13 Or he
  12. Zechariah 6:14 An alternate spelling of Heldai (verse 10)
  13. Zechariah 7:11 Hebrew and made their ears too heavy to hear
  14. Zechariah 7:13 Hebrew he

Clean Garments for the High Priest

Then he showed me Joshua(A) the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan[a](B) standing at his right side to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you,(C) Satan! The Lord, who has chosen(D) Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick(E) snatched from the fire?”(F)

Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.”

Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin,(G) and I will put fine garments(H) on you.”

Then I said, “Put a clean turban(I) on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the Lord stood by.

The angel of the Lord gave this charge to Joshua: “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘If you will walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements,(J) then you will govern my house(K) and have charge(L) of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.(M)

“‘Listen, High Priest(N) Joshua, you and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic(O) of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch.(P) See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua!(Q) There are seven eyes[b](R) on that one stone,(S) and I will engrave an inscription on it,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will remove the sin(T) of this land in a single day.

10 “‘In that day each of you will invite your neighbor to sit(U) under your vine and fig tree,(V)’ declares the Lord Almighty.”

The Gold Lampstand and the Two Olive Trees

Then the angel who talked with me returned and woke(W) me up, like someone awakened from sleep.(X) He asked me, “What do you see?”(Y)

I answered, “I see a solid gold lampstand(Z) with a bowl at the top and seven lamps(AA) on it, with seven channels to the lamps. Also there are two olive trees(AB) by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.”

I asked the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”

He answered, “Do you not know what these are?”

“No, my lord,” I replied.(AC)

So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel:(AD) ‘Not(AE) by might nor by power,(AF) but by my Spirit,’(AG) says the Lord Almighty.

“What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground.(AH) Then he will bring out the capstone(AI) to shouts(AJ) of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’”

Then the word of the Lord came to me: “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation(AK) of this temple; his hands will also complete it.(AL) Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me(AM) to you.

10 “Who dares despise the day(AN) of small things,(AO) since the seven eyes(AP) of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone[c] in the hand of Zerubbabel?”(AQ)

11 Then I asked the angel, “What are these two olive trees(AR) on the right and the left of the lampstand?”

12 Again I asked him, “What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that pour out golden oil?”

13 He replied, “Do you not know what these are?”

“No, my lord,” I said.

14 So he said, “These are the two who are anointed(AS) to[d] serve the Lord of all the earth.”

The Flying Scroll

I looked again, and there before me was a flying scroll.(AT)

He asked me, “What do you see?”(AU)

I answered, “I see a flying scroll, twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide.[e]

And he said to me, “This is the curse(AV) that is going out over the whole land; for according to what it says on one side, every thief(AW) will be banished, and according to what it says on the other, everyone who swears falsely(AX) will be banished. The Lord Almighty declares, ‘I will send it out, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of anyone who swears falsely(AY) by my name. It will remain in that house and destroy it completely, both its timbers and its stones.(AZ)’”

The Woman in a Basket

Then the angel who was speaking to me came forward and said to me, “Look up and see what is appearing.”

I asked, “What is it?”

He replied, “It is a basket.(BA)” And he added, “This is the iniquity[f] of the people throughout the land.”

Then the cover of lead was raised, and there in the basket sat a woman! He said, “This is wickedness,” and he pushed her back into the basket and pushed its lead cover down on it.(BB)

Then I looked up—and there before me were two women, with the wind in their wings! They had wings like those of a stork,(BC) and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth.

10 “Where are they taking the basket?” I asked the angel who was speaking to me.

11 He replied, “To the country of Babylonia[g](BD) to build a house(BE) for it. When the house is ready, the basket will be set there in its place.”(BF)

Four Chariots

I looked up again, and there before me were four chariots(BG) coming out from between two mountains—mountains of bronze. The first chariot had red horses, the second black,(BH) the third white,(BI) and the fourth dappled—all of them powerful. I asked the angel who was speaking to me, “What are these, my lord?”

The angel answered me, “These are the four spirits[h](BJ) of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world.(BK) The one with the black horses is going toward the north country, the one with the white horses toward the west,[i] and the one with the dappled horses toward the south.”

When the powerful horses went out, they were straining to go throughout the earth.(BL) And he said, “Go throughout the earth!” So they went throughout the earth.

Then he called to me, “Look, those going toward the north country have given my Spirit[j] rest(BM) in the land of the north.”(BN)

A Crown for Joshua

The word of the Lord came to me: 10 “Take silver and gold from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon.(BO) Go the same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. 11 Take the silver and gold and make a crown,(BP) and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua(BQ) son of Jozadak.[k](BR) 12 Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch,(BS) and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord.(BT) 13 It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he[l] will be a priest(BU) on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.’ 14 The crown will be given to Heldai,[m] Tobijah, Jedaiah and Hen[n] son of Zephaniah as a memorial(BV) in the temple of the Lord. 15 Those who are far away will come and help to build the temple of the Lord,(BW) and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.(BX) This will happen if you diligently obey(BY) the Lord your God.”

Justice and Mercy, Not Fasting

In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah(BZ) on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev.(CA) The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melek, together with their men, to entreat(CB) the Lord(CC) by asking the priests of the house of the Lord Almighty and the prophets, “Should I mourn(CD) and fast in the fifth(CE) month, as I have done for so many years?”

Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me: “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted(CF) and mourned in the fifth and seventh(CG) months for the past seventy years,(CH) was it really for me that you fasted? And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?(CI) Are these not the words the Lord proclaimed through the earlier prophets(CJ) when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were at rest(CK) and prosperous, and the Negev and the western foothills(CL) were settled?’”(CM)

And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice;(CN) show mercy and compassion to one another.(CO) 10 Do not oppress the widow(CP) or the fatherless, the foreigner(CQ) or the poor.(CR) Do not plot evil against each other.’(CS)

11 “But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly(CT) they turned their backs(CU) and covered their ears.(CV) 12 They made their hearts as hard as flint(CW) and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets.(CX) So the Lord Almighty was very angry.(CY)

13 “‘When I called, they did not listen;(CZ) so when they called, I would not listen,’(DA) says the Lord Almighty.(DB) 14 ‘I scattered(DC) them with a whirlwind(DD) among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land they left behind them was so desolate that no one traveled through it.(DE) This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.(DF)’”

The Lord Promises to Bless Jerusalem

The word of the Lord Almighty came to me.

This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I am very jealous(DG) for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her.”

This is what the Lord says: “I will return(DH) to Zion(DI) and dwell in Jerusalem.(DJ) Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City,(DK) and the mountain(DL) of the Lord Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain.(DM)

This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem,(DN) each of them with cane in hand because of their age. The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.(DO)

This is what the Lord Almighty says: “It may seem marvelous to the remnant of this people at that time,(DP) but will it seem marvelous to me?(DQ)” declares the Lord Almighty.

This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west.(DR) I will bring them back(DS) to live(DT) in Jerusalem; they will be my people,(DU) and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.(DV)

This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Now hear these words, ‘Let your hands be strong(DW) so that the temple may be built.’ This is also what the prophets(DX) said who were present when the foundation(DY) was laid for the house of the Lord Almighty. 10 Before that time there were no wages(DZ) for people or hire for animals. No one could go about their business safely(EA) because of their enemies, since I had turned everyone against their neighbor. 11 But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as I did in the past,”(EB) declares the Lord Almighty.

12 “The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit,(EC) the ground will produce its crops,(ED) and the heavens will drop their dew.(EE) I will give all these things as an inheritance(EF) to the remnant of this people.(EG) 13 Just as you, Judah and Israel, have been a curse[o](EH) among the nations, so I will save(EI) you, and you will be a blessing.[p](EJ) Do not be afraid,(EK) but let your hands be strong.(EL)

14 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Just as I had determined to bring disaster(EM) on you and showed no pity when your ancestors angered me,” says the Lord Almighty, 15 “so now I have determined to do good(EN) again to Jerusalem and Judah.(EO) Do not be afraid. 16 These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth(EP) to each other, and render true and sound judgment(EQ) in your courts;(ER) 17 do not plot evil(ES) against each other, and do not love to swear falsely.(ET) I hate all this,” declares the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 3:1 Hebrew satan means adversary.
  2. Zechariah 3:9 Or facets
  3. Zechariah 4:10 Or the plumb line
  4. Zechariah 4:14 Or two who bring oil and
  5. Zechariah 5:2 That is, about 30 feet long and 15 feet wide or about 9 meters long and 4.5 meters wide
  6. Zechariah 5:6 Or appearance
  7. Zechariah 5:11 Hebrew Shinar
  8. Zechariah 6:5 Or winds
  9. Zechariah 6:6 Or horses after them
  10. Zechariah 6:8 Or spirit
  11. Zechariah 6:11 Hebrew Jehozadak, a variant of Jozadak
  12. Zechariah 6:13 Or there
  13. Zechariah 6:14 Syriac; Hebrew Helem
  14. Zechariah 6:14 Or and the gracious one, the
  15. Zechariah 8:13 That is, your name has been used in cursing (see Jer. 29:22); or, you have been regarded as under a curse.
  16. Zechariah 8:13 Or and your name will be used in blessings (see Gen. 48:20); or and you will be seen as blessed